Alex's Mischief
by JetBlackDiamond
Summary: Haruka's cousin, Alex, decides to stay over with Haruka for nine days. Saotome agrees to let him stay, as he sees he has music potential, juat as long as he doesn't cause any trouble. But what happens when he knows Masato and Tokiya from previous events, and plays match-maker for his old friends?
1. Kanji and Mansion Dorms

**So, I decided to experiment in the Uta-Pri with my OC, Alex. This is my first fanfiction on this site, so please rate and review. Please be aware this work is solely fan-based, and is written for entertainment purposes.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Uta-Pri or any of its characters. Any videos or songs described in this work do not belong to me, but to their rightful YouTube users, or song artists.**_

* * *

Haruka took a deep breath, as she was excited to see her cousin, Alex. She had never met the young boy before in real life, but her aunt had set up several phone calls prior to his trip to Japan. Her aunt said that she wanted Haruka to take care of Alex, while she and her husband were out on an important trip of some sort. Haruka was happy to take care of her cousin. After all, they had a bit in common, especially music. But, Haruka had heard Alex wasn't exactly described as an average eleven year old. He wasn't solely fixed on music alone, but several other activities of all kinds. Hearing that, Haruka didn't quite know what to expect, but she was excited none the less.

_Great. I'm lost._ Alex thought to himself as he looked at the map of the airport. Confused, as he couldn't read _anything_ that the sign said, and he was too afraid to ask anyone (even though he believed that the Japanese were required to learn English in high school.) Scratching his head and sighing, he leaned his backpack against the sign and sat on the tiled floor of the airport. _I really hope Haruka can find me. Crap, I don't even know what she looks like! Wait- does she know what I look like?! Ugh, I'm doomed…_ With that though, he hung his head between his head filled with doubt.

"Um.. Are you my cousin, Alex?"

Alex looked up to see a girl with her hands resting on her knees, as she leaned down to look at him. She had shoulder length peach pink hair, yellow-green eyes, and a small smile on her face.

"Haruka?"

Haruka looked down at the boy with the multi-colored hair. It was parted more to the left, and had several different colors. On the right of the part, it was mostly red with crimson tips. On the left, it was bright blue with navy tips. And on either sides of the part in his hair was at least maybe an inch and a half of natural black hair. He looked up at him, and she saw heterochromatic eyes behind glasses. One a deep magenta color, and the other a deep indigo.

"That's me," she responded sweetly, as she motioned for him to get up. "Was your flight okay?" she asked cautiously, as he stood up. She saw that Alex was at least a couple of inches taller than her.

"It was fine," Alex replied as he picked up his duffel bag and a small rolling suitcase's handle. "Shall we get going?"

* * *

Haruka approached the dorm with her cousin. Seeing Haruka walk up to it as normal, Alex stood still just at the edge of the tree clearing.

"Uhh… Haurka?"

She turned around to see Alex looking at the dorm building with an open mouth.

"Are you sure we're at the right place….?

She laughed a bit. "This is the right place, Alex-kun."

Haruka unlocked the front door, letting Alex in, and closed it behind him.

Alex could see people sitting around an oval coffee table just off to the left of the door. Just then a group of teenagers walked in from a hallway, and then saw two of them stop dead in their tracks.

"Anon?!" they both said in unison.

Alex remembered them. "Su-chan?! Kiya?!" he exclaimed with wide eyes. Almost everyone in the room let out a gasp and looked back and forth between the three people.

"Do you guys…. Know each other?" Haruka asked slightly confused. The three let out a soft _yes._

"Ne, Haruka, who's that?" Alex looked over to see a blonde in a fedora ask.

They all looked over to Alex, seemingly wanting him to answer for himself.

"I'm Haruka's cousin…Alex," he shyly replied. "But, uh, Su-chan and Kiya refer to me as _Anon_," he added and motioned over to Masato and Tokiya.

"_Kiya?_" a redhead repeated.

"_Su-chan?_" a dark brunette repeated, looking over to the redhead in question.

Tokiya and Masato slightly blushed accordingly to when their nicknames were repeated.

_Crap, this is kinda embarrassing. I never would have thought I'd see either of them again, much less together in the same place!_ Alex said as a slight pink dusted his cheeks.

"Uhm," Haruka started in an attempt to break the awkward silence. "Do you guys want to introduce yourselves?" she asked, gently pushing Alex towards the group, so that he was only a few feet away from them.

"Kurusu Shou," the blonde in the fedora said, as he held out his hand for a handshake. Alex awkwardly took the hand and shook it gently.

A taller blonde with glasses and neon green eyes took his place. "Shinomiya Natsuki," he gently hugged Alex. "You're so cute~!" Natsuki soon let go of Alex to let the redhead go.

"Ittoki Otoya," he said with a bright smile. Next was the dark brunette.

"Cecil Aijima, Prince of Agnopolis," he said as he shook Alex's hand.

"A prince…?" Alex repeated in small shock. Cecil nodded.

"Jinguji Ren," an orange haired teen said from behind Otoya, not bothering to shake his hand.

Alex frowned a little, and looked over to Masato and Tokiya. "And I already know who you two are, Su-chan, Kiya."

"Anon," Masato acknowledged.

Alex sighed and rolled his eyes a bit. "You don't have to keep calling me that, Su-chan. It was three years ago." He looked over in Tokiya's direction. "You too, Kiya. That was two years ago." His eyes scanned around the room. "Uh, excuse me for asking, but who're those four guys over there?" Alex asked in a quieter voice while motioning to their sempais.


	2. No Arguments In Front Of Soup

**Ok, Alex is just a little bit mean to Ren,** **but he kinda deserved it.**

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Alex started while setting his coffee cup down on the table. "You seven are in a boy-band named STARISH, with Haruka as your composer" he said while looking at the band members. "And you guys are their 'senpais' and are in a group called QUARTET NIGHT," he continued while looking at the four that were previously seated. "And you all live here, in this mansion-dorm-thingy-whateverthehellyoucallit." They all nodded. "Fan-fricking-tastic."

"And you're Haruka's eleven year-old cousin, Alex Johnson, staying here for nine days while your parents are on a business trip," Shou stated looking at the eleven-year old. "And you met Masato three years ago, and Tokiya two years ago, and call them _Su-chan _and _Kiya_."

"Correct," Alex said before picking up his coffee cup.

"I can understand why you would call Ichinose _Kiya_, but why call Hijirikawa_ Su-chan_?" Cecil asked. Everyone turned toward Alex.

"I tried calling him by his last name, but I always mispronounced it, so I tried his first name. I still mispronounced that and called him _Masuto_, and somewhere down the road that turned into Su-chan," Alex said smirking, and waving his hand dismissively.

"**That's insanely idiotic,**" Masato said in English, slightly glaring at Alex.

"**Even if you say it in English, it still hurts my feelings!" **Alex exclaimed.

Shou leaned over the couch. "What did they say?" he asked Otoya. The red-head just shrugged.

"If we're situated," Alex said standing up. "I think I'll pass out now," he said while his legs gave out, and he started to fall.

"Alex!" Otoya and Natsuki exclaimed, catching the boy before he hit the floor.

_ I knew we shouldn't have given him coffee,_ Masato and Tokiya inwardly thought.

* * *

"-Kun. Alex-kun," Alex opened his eyes to see a blur of blonde. "It's almost time for dinner, you need to get up."

Alex let out a groan. "Where're…my glasses?" he sluggishly asked. The blonde handed him his glasses. Once Alex was able to see clearly, he realized it was Natsuki who woke him up. He was crouched down beside the bed Alex was put on. He sat up, and threw his legs over the side. Natsuki stood up and waited for Alex to do the same and follow.

* * *

"So is there a reason why you passed out earlier?" Ranmaru asked in between spoonfuls.

Alex looked up from his food. "That was just me being sleep deprived. My parents pulled me out early from school, and we went straight to the airport. It was like, what, an eighteen hour flight? And I can't fall asleep in planes or places like that, so I've been up for about, maybe, twenty-one hours straight?"

"It's not healthy for a kid like you to be up that long. You won't grow any taller," Ren said with a smirk. Alex abruptly dropped his spoon in the soup. Tokiya knew the Ren had struck a nerve.

"Oh really?" Alex asked with a smile on his face. "I'll tell you what, pretty boy. I'm only eleven; I'm still growing. And you're what? Seven-teen? It's obvious that you're not gonna grow any taller. Then what? I'll end up taller. Then what are you gonna do? Stretch? The only real reason you pick on height is because you're ashamed that you didn't grow any taller, so you pick on the shorter kids. No matter what their age." Everyone fell silent. Ren's smirk faded, and some remained still with their mouths open. No one had _ever_ expected Alex to say that. "What? I was kidding. Don't take it so seriously." Alex took another spoonful of soup.


	3. Idol Games and Composing Crisis

The table remained silent as they awkwardly continued to eat their meal.

"Was it that bad?" Alex asked no one in particular. Few of them let out a groan. "Sorry," he apologized silently. Alex felt the phone in his back pocket vibrate. He took it out of his pocket to see who was calling. "Excuse me," he said while getting up to go to the other room and answer it.

Once he was out of ear-shot of the group, he answered harshly into the phone.

"What the hell do you think you're doing calling me?"

"I don't know. I was bored. Plus it's already Saturday," the voice on the other voice said through the speaker.

"Bored? It's like five A.M. over there! You should still be sleeping!" he yelled over. He heard laughter from the speaker.

"I hope you realize we're both speaking Japanese because you forgot to switch languages."

"WHAT?" he angrily asked.

"And that there's probably people behind you, since you were yelling." Alex looked behind him, and sure enough someone ducked their head back through the door to avoid being caught. "And, you need to apologize to the poor boy you went off on because of some stupid comment."

Alex's eyes widened. "How on Earth would you know that?!"

"I know everything, remember?" there was more laughter from the speaker. "Well, I'm gonna go now, or else my phone bill's gonna be a pain in the arse. Bye bye be~!"

The line went dead, and Alex turned his phone off. He walked back into the silent dining hall, and sat back down in his chair.

* * *

The next morning, Alex was the first one up. Meaning, he was the first one to see the three peculiar boxes in front of the stairs, just at the end of the hallway. He cautiously walked around the three objects, and even nudged one gently with his foot to see if anything would happen. Nothing. He checked his watch to see what time it was. 7:13. He wondered what time everyone else would be up.

"**Well, what the fuck are these doing here?"** Alex finally asked in English, scratching the back of his head.

One of the boxes started to move a bit. Alex leered around to stand in front of it.

"What the-?" Alex started, only to have his sentence cut off screaming, as a man with sunglasses and a polka-dot tie jump out of the box. Alex fell on his butt, wide-eyed, trying to adjust his glasses. As he caught his breath, the other two boxes opened up to reveal a man with spiky orange hair, and an individual with long, curly pink hair.

"That took way too damn long! Why the hell did we have to wait in the boxes?!" the man with the spiky orange hair angrily exclaimed. He was wearing a suit and tie, that seemed to be slightly wrinkled due to being cramped in the box.

"Come on, Ryuuya! It was pretty fun! Look at the reaction we got from-" the pink haired individual stopped halfway and looked at Alex. "Actually, who _is _he?" The spiky haired man looked over to him as well.

"Excellent question, Mr. Tsukimiya," the man in the sunglasses said, as he leaned down closer to Alex.

"President!" someone behind Alex exclaimed. It was Tokiya. Behind him were the others. Well, except for the senpai, and they were all in their pajamas.

"Mr. Ichinose," the man responded as he straighted back up. "Who is this young man?"

"Ah! Shining-san, that's my younger cousin, Alex," Haruka explained.

"Your cousin, Haru-chan?" the pink-haired person repeated. Haruka nodded.

"I see. Miss Nanami, I will need to have a talk with you and your cousin," he instructed. "Tsukimiya, Hyuuga, proceed as planned," he finished with a chesire grin.

* * *

"Today, you all will participate in your first ever Trust Games!" Ringo exclaimed while he shot his arm in the air. "You all will go through a series of activities to establish trust and to get your other bandmates better!"

"For each activity, you will be paired up with a different partner. Since there are seven of you, one of you will sit out for each activity," Ryuuya further explained.

"Trust Games?" Shou repeated. "You mean like a trust fall or something?"

"Not at all, Shou-kun! These challenges will be much harder! You will have to rely on your partner, or else you will not get through them!" Ringo interjected, pointing at Shou.

"How will are partners be decided?" Masato asked.

"You will randomly paired with someone by drawing a name from a hat or pulling straws. If you draw with a partner you've already had, you will be required to draw again. Tsukimiya and I will decide who sits out for individual rounds," Ryuuya said.

"If there are no more questions, would you all follow me outside?" Ringo asked.

* * *

"What did you want to talk to us about, Shining-san?" Haruka asked, standing beside Alex in front of the man's desk.

"As you know, the residents in this dorm have proved their musical talents, whether it be performing or composing," he started. "But as for you cousin, he has yet to prove to me that he has any musical talent."

"Excuse me if I'm rude, but it's not as if I'd be staying here forever, sir," Alex said

"Young man, this dorm is for idols and their composers, " he said, his tone dropping. "I have certain rules here, and I will not allow anyone to break them."

"So, what are you asking of him?" Haruka asked, concerned.

"Ms. Nanami, you will compose a song with your cousin, and it will performed tomorrow afternoon. If I like it, he can continue to stay here, if I don't, I'm afraid that he'll have to find somewhere else."

Alex's eyes widened. He didn't know how to compose a song! Let alone learn how in a day! This guy must be crazy, if he's asking a kid to do this!

"But he's only eleven! He doesn't know a thing about composing!" Haruka tried to reason with him.

"Then, I expect you to teach him," he replied sternly. "If you don't have any questions then you two are dismissed.

* * *

"Aijima, you'll be sitting this one out," Ryuuya instructed.

"Deciding your partners this time, you will be drawing sticks!" Ringo said as he held up six sticks in his right hand. "The end of the sticks are colored, so you'll match with one other person."

The remaining six took turns pulling sticks. Masato was paired with Ren, Tokiya was paired with Otoya, and Natsuki was paired with Shou.

"For this activity, you will have to guide your partner through a maze while they're wearing blindfolds," Ringo explained, while tying blindfolds with the A Class' respective colors. "Ren, Tokiya, Shou, you three will be allowed to move about the perimeter of the maze, but you are not allowed to step in. If you do, you and your partner will immediately stop the activity."

The three looked over to see a large area marked with wooden poles with tape wrapping and connecting every one of them. There were three paths marked, one with red, another with blue, and the last with yellow.

"You all have to guide your partners through the right path. If you guide them through the wrong one, you'll also be required to stop," Ryuuya added, while Ringo led the three blind-folded boys to the beginning of each of their paths.

"You three boys only listen to your partners' directions, if not you might trip~!" Ringo said happily.

"Trip? What do you mean trip?" Masato asked.

"Alright! Let's start!" Ringo exclaimed, ignoring Masato's question.


	4. Bad Directions and A Book Of Songs

"_Alright! Let's start!"_

The three teens stood, waiting for directions from their partners. Masato wasn't very trusting with Ren giving directions. What made it worse is that Ringo said they could "trip."

"Otoya go forward, and turn right!" Tokiya said, cupping his hand around his mouth, so his partner could hear. The redhead slowly stalked forward and followed his instructions. Tokiya walked over the side of the perimeter, closer to the redhead, so he wouldn't strain his voice.

"Natsuki, go forward!" Shou yelled to the other blonde.

"Hijirikawa! Forward right!" Ren instructed, half-heartedly. The bluenet did as he was instructed, but almost tripped over one of the blue tape lines.

"I'd appreciate it if you could not make me trip, Jinguji!" Masato yelled back.

"Tokiya! Which way?" Otoya asked the navy haired teen. He was holding his arms out to feel around for anything.

"Just keep going straight for about ten more steps," Tokiya responded, watching the redhead carefully.

"Well, sorry! Just turn left, and keep going forward!" Ren yelled back at the bluenet in the middle of the maze.

"Ne, Hyuuga. How do you think they're doing so far?" Ringo asked, as he slightly nudged the other teacher in the side.

"Ichinose and Ittoki seem to be cooperating very well. Ittoki is following every directon that he's given without question," Ryuuya responded, still observing the students.

"Seems like Otoya has complete trust in Tokiya's word, hmm?" Ringo asked, as he watched the redhead get closer to the exit.

"Shou-chan! How far is the end? I think I'd like to be able to see again," Natsuki asked the shorter blonde.

"Not far, just keep going straight for a little, and turn right," the blonde in the fedora responded.

Ren walked around the edge of the perimeter where Masato was standing. He was near the edge, so there was only a line of blue tape and sticks between them.

"Ne, Hijirikawa. You really suck at this," Ren said blandly.

"Excuse me? _You_ try walking around blind in a maze with an _idiot_ like you giving directions," Masato spat back with venom.

"Well, this 'idiot' is the only one who can actually get you out of this maze," Ren said.

"Whatever, just tell me where I should go," Masato said, rolling his eyes under the blindfold.

Cecil watched the others stumble around in the maze. He looked around to see Otoya getting closer and closer to the exit, listening to Tokiya's instructions. Then, he noticed Masato and Ren right next to each other, apparently talking rather than making progress.

"Natsuki! Other way!" Shou yelled over.

"Sorry, Shou-chan! Which way?" Natsuki asked, turning his head in the direction he thought Shou's voice was coming from.

Ryuuya put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. "Stop! Ittoki's made it past the exit!"

The three A Class teens removed their blind folds. Surely enough, the redhead was standing outside of the exit. Natsuki was almost out, and Masato was nowhere near the end. The other two still in the maze started stepping over the tape and got out. But Masato ended up tripping over the blue tape, and knocked into Ren's chest. Masato quickly steadied himself.

"You okay?" Ren asked, looking down at the bluenet. Masato nodded.

* * *

"Alex, do you know anything about composing?" Haruka asked the boy sitting next to him in front of the piano. He nodded slightly.

"Ne, Haruka. Can I show you something?" Alex asked the peach haired girl.

Haruka nodded. "Sure."

Alex got up and left the practice room. He returned a few minutes later with a notebook that had papers sticking out of it. "I don't think we have to worry about lyrics," he said as he handed Haruka the notebook.

She flipped open to one of the pages. "Alex, this is-" she started, looking up to see the boy scratching the back of his head, slightly blushing.

"I can never find the right music to go with it," Alex said, sitting back down.

"Well," Haruka started. "Why don't you start by singing this first?"

Alex nodded, and looked down at the lyrics. He took a deep breath.


	5. Grass Stains and Cranky Senpai

**Alex's song in this chapter actually does, in fact, belong to me. I really hope you guys don't copy it without me knowing, or without my permission. I've worked hard on the lyrics, so please be considerate.**

**And again, I don't own **_**Uta no Prince-Sama **_**or any of its characters. The only things that belong to me are Alex and his song.**

* * *

The games definitely didn't go as planned. It seemed rather than bringing them closer together, it made some of them not trust each other at all. Masato was downright _fuming_. He was glaring daggers over at Ren. During the second event, someone accidentally knocked into the person next to them, setting off a chain reaction. It resulted in all of the boys having the wind knocked out of him.

Cecil had his eyes closed, gently spinning in a circle, having his arms extended. He stepped to the left and accidentally smacked Masato in the face, sending him backwards. Masato knocked into Tokiya, who was in the middle of tossing Shou a water balloon. The water balloon fell on the front of Shou's hat, covering his eyes, and he fell backwards into the lake. Meanwhile, Tokiya also knocked into Natsuki, who was catching Otoya as he was gently tilted between him and Ren. Natsuki didn't catch Otoya, and he hit the grass, and Natsuki's and Otoya's legs swept Ren off of his own two feet, and he hit the ground hard. He soon started tumbling into the lake, joining Shou.

Ringo and Ryuuya still stood looking at the seven with sheer amazement of what they just witnessed, trying to figure out how _any _of this happened.

* * *

"Haruka, before I start," Alex said before singing the lyrics of the page. "What kind of music do you usually compose?"

She looked up from the keys. "I'm not really sure of the genre, but I've been known to compose pop songs and ballads."

"Love songs, right? I kinda looked up some of STARISH's songs," Alex responded. Haruka nodded. "I see," Alex said slightly disappointed. "I'm not really one for romance."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out, Alex," she said, giving her cousin a small smile.

Alex nodded, and looked down at the lyrics again. He closed his eyes, and took another deep breath.

_I walk alone_

_On this lonely road_

_Keeping a secret_

_Never to be told_

_Then someone like you_

_Came around_

_And turned my whole world_

_Upside-down_

Haruka started moving her fingers around the keys, trying to find the right pitch to match with his voice.

_Left alone_

_In my mind_

_Never knowing_

_At the time_

_That there was a whole world to explore_

_Never knowing there was more_

Alex stopped, and looked down. "Sorry," he said. "I've never really sung anything original in front of people."

"Really? We can take a break if you're uncomfortable, but you sounded amazing," Haruka gleamed.

Alex's cheeks went red. "It's fine, but I think I need to breathe for a minute. I'll be back in a little," Alex said before exiting the practice room. He closed the door and turned around to see the members of STARISH covered in grass, water, or mud. Some of them had all three substances on them. He looked around at them with his mouth slightly open.

"Don't ask," they all said in unison, looking absolutely miserable.

"You got some twigs in your hair, Shou," Alex called out to the group continuing to trudge to their dorm rooms.

He watched them disappear into their rooms, and then heard the yells of four senpai.

"God, it reeks! What have you idiots been doing?!" Ranmaru yelled out before busting out of his dorm room.

"Really sorry Otoyan, Toki, but you guys stink!" Reiji looked in apologetically before closing the door.

"Kurusu, Shinomiya. The both of you better not make a mess," Ai said, standing in front of the door.

"Aijima! You'd better clean up after yourself! Or else you're in trouble!" Camus yelled in angriliy to his kouhai.

"Uhhh…." Alex let slip from his mouth, looking at the four elders. "I think I should go now.." he said before turning back to the door.

"Wait a minute there, Al! What have you been up to? I thought I heard you screaming earlier," Reiji said, walking up to the eleven year old.

Alex's eye twitched, remembering the near heart attack he received from the instructors. "It was nothing, just a bit frightened," said, laughing nervously at the end.

"That must have been one hell of a fright, kid. It could be heard for a mile," Ranmaru added, his hands behind his head.

"Certainly. It interrupted my sleep," Ai said, slightly irritated.

"Well, how would you respond if three completely random strangers jumped out of cardboard boxes like motherfucking groundhogs and scared you shitless?" Alex responded, forgetting he wasn't in Virginia. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

The four elders were quiet for a moment. "You got a big mouth on ya, kid," Ranmaru said.

"I have a name, if you haven't noticed," Alex said on impulse.

"It seems that you also have an attitude," Camus added.

Reiji laughed nervously this time, his hands up slightly. "Now now, RanRan, Myu-chan, let's not argue."

"Certainly not with a shortly like this," Ranmaru said.

"_Excuse _me?" Alex said, galring.

Haruka popped her head out from the door. "Alex is everything alright? You've been here awhile now."

Alex looked back. "Uh yeah, I was just about to come back in."


	6. You Saw Nothing, Kurosaki

Alex took a deep breath. It had been awhile since he played anything other than woodwind instruments. He plugged the guitar into the amp. Otoya wouldn't mind if he borrowed his guitar. Right? They were all at work, anyway. Alex had some time.

He put his headphones on, and his iPod on shuffle. He hoped he didn't forget the chords for any of these songs. The first song started, and he nodded his head to the rhythm. He took a deep breath and sung along.

_Drugs, gimme drugs, gimme drugs  
I don't need it, but I'll sell what you got  
Take the cash and I'll keep it  
Eight legs to the wall  
Hit the gas, kill them all  
And we crawl, and we crawl, and we crawl  
You be my detonator! _

Alex played the chords exactly how he remembered them. He closed his eyes, not caring about anything other than the music.

_Love, gimme love, gimme love  
I don't need it, but I'll take what I want from your heart  
And I'll keep it in a bag, in a box  
Put an X on the floor  
Gimme more, gimme more, gimme more  
Shut up and sing it with me!_

_Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na_

_From mall security  
To every enemy  
We're on your property  
Standing in V formation_

_Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na_

_Let's blow an artery  
Get plastic surgery  
Keep your apology  
Give us more detonation_

_More! Gimme More! Gimme More!_

_Oh, let me tell you 'bout the sad man  
Shut up and let me see your jazz hands  
Remember when you were a madman  
Thought you was Batman  
And hit the party with a gas can  
Kiss me you animal!_

Alex was nodding his head faster now, completely lost in the song.

_Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na_

_You run the company  
Fuck like a Kennedy  
I think we'd rather be  
Burning your information_

_Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na_

_Let's blow an artery_  
_Eat plastic surgery_  
_Keep your apology_  
_Give us more detonation_

_And right here_  
_Right now_  
_All the way in Battery City_  
_Little children_  
_Raise their open filthy palms_  
_Like tiny daggers up to heaven_  
_And all the juvee halls_  
_And Ritalin rats_  
_Ask the angels made from neon_  
_And fucking garbage_  
_Scream out, "What will save us?"_  
_And the sky opened up_

_Everybody wants to change the world_  
_Everybody wants to change the world_  
_But no one, no one wants to die_  
_Wanna try, wanna try, wanna try_  
_Wanna try, wanna try, now_  
_I'll be your detonator_

_Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na_

_Make no apology  
It's death or victory  
On my authority  
Crash and burn  
Young and loaded_

_Drop like a bullet shell_  
_Just like a sleeper cell_  
_I'd rather go to hell_  
_Than be in purgatory_  
_Cut my hair_  
_Gag and bore me_  
_Pull this pin_  
_Let this world explode_

Alex threw his head back on the last chord, and pulled out his headphones. He heard clapping from behind him.

"Not bad, kid," someone said.

Alex turned around to see an amused, Ranmaru leaning on the door frame.

"SHIT," Alex said when he saw him. His eyes darted to the left. "You heard nothing."

"I heard everything," Ranmaru replied.

"Sie hörte nichts, verdammt," Alex said in German, slightly glaring.

"Ich hörte alles, bitch," Ranmaru said back.

"CRAP, you understood me," Alex said, slightly panicking.

"German people have good rock music," Ranmaru said, nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head.

"True," Alex agreed. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Aren't you guys have work or something?"

"What are _you_ doing with Otoya's guitar?" Ranmaru countered. Alex shrugged. "I didn't have any work today. And there are still some people still here, so they might've heard you as well."

"_FICK,"_ he swore. "Who exactly?"

"Me, Reiji, Natsuki, and Shou," Ranmaru listed.

"Well that's not that bad," Alex reasoned. "Okay, uh, I'm gonna go put this up. You didn't see me, and I didn't see you with your fly down," Alex said while pointing at the man's pants.

Ranmaru looked down to see his pants unzipped, showing off his underwear. "Never saw a thing, kid."

* * *

After Alex snuck the guitar and amp back into its proper home, he walked out into the living room, and saw Ranmaru as well as the others he said were still here.

"Oh hey, Al," Reiji greeted him, waving.

"Hi," Alex waved back, while sitting on one of the couches around the coffee table. "What's everybody doing?"

"Nothing much," Shou said absent mindedly.

"I was telling Shou-chan how cute I think Piyo-chan is!" Natsuki gleamed.

"What's a Piyo-chan? Is that like, the Japanese equivalent to Hello Kitty?" Alex questioned.

"You don't know who Piyo-chan is?!" Natsuki's calm expression turned to one full of shock and concern.

"Nope. Haven't really paid attention to anything outside of Virginia," Alex replied.

"So, you don't pay attention to anything that's not right in front you, huh?" Shou asked.

"I guess you could say that," Alex replied to the blonde.

"So what's it like in Virginia, Al?" Reiji asked from across the coffee table, changing the subject.

"Coooollllddd. It even snowed in February, and it's still kinda chilly outside," Alex put an emphasis around the word February.

"Really?" Reiji asked.

"Yeah, makes it harder for me to walk to school in the morning," Alex laughed a little bit. "Uh," he started. "Are you guys interrogating me or somethin'? Is this being recorded?"

"No. Why would you ask that?" Reiji said, his expression a bit surprised.

"I don't usually get asked this many questions," Alex explained.

"Well, kid. I'm gonna ask you another one: What instruments do you play?" Ranmaru asked, half-heartedly.

"Do I have to list all of 'em?" Alex asked.

"Uh, sure, I guess," Ranmaru said.

"Drums, bass, guitar (electric and acoustic), saxophone, flute, piano, keyboard, cello, violin, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, and viola," he listed while counting off on his fingers.

"Kid," Ranmaru said.

"You play that many instruments?!" Shou exclaimed.

"My friend owns a music shop and teaches me how to play, since I help him with sales," Alex said nonchalantly.

"He plays violin just like us! Ne, Shou-chan?" Natsuki said happily turning to the other blonde.

"That's amazing, Alex! Can you play some for us?" Reiji asked.

"I guess so, yeah. But I'll need to borrow some. I only brought my violin with me," Alex responded.

* * *

The four remaining idols were in the practice room, three of them watching Ranmaru put together a drum set they found in one of the storage spaces.

"RanRan, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Reiji asked quietly.

"I've been in multiple rock bands, I know how to put a simple drumset together, Reiji," Ranmaru said in a matter of fact tone.

Alex came in to the room carrying an instrument case. "Do you need help with that, Kurosaki?"

"Ich bin völlig in Ordnung von mir," Ranmaru snarled at him.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Cranky pants," Alex put his hand up in defense, still holding the instrument case. "Sie erinnern mich an einen Grizzlybären."

"Watch it, kid," Ranmaru warned, finished putting together the drumset.

"Jeez! How many languages can you speak!" Shou exclaimed.

"Nine," Alex deadpanned.

"That was retohrical!" Shou yelled further.

Alex sat down on the stool. "Any requests?" Everyone shook their heads. Alex sighed, and took out his iPod and headphones. "Pick a random song from this playlist then."

Reiji spent a little scrolling through randomly. Since he couldn't read the letters, he just randomly clicked one and handed it back to Alex, who plugged his headphones in and started drumming.

* * *

"Today was tiring,"Otoya said yawning, and stretching his arms over his head.

"I just wonder what they were doing in the dorm all day," Masato stated.

"I'm pretty sure Alex might've broken something," Tokiya stated.

"Is he that reckless?" Ren asked.

"I can't tell anymore. He's unpredictable last time I checked," Tokiya responded.

"What do you mean?" Cecil asked.

"First time I met him, he seemed mature, sophisticated, quiet. He kept to himself, and minded his own business. The next day, he was loud, jumping around everywhere. He kept on breaking out into song, he seemed like a completely different person," Tokiya further explained.

"Where'd you meet him anyway, Tokiya?" Otoya asked his roommate.

"I met him at a hospital," Tokiya responded.

"What about you, Hijirikawa?" Ren asked.

"I met him at a festival," Masato said.

* * *

**So sorry to leave at this, but I had to post something. I'll be spending some time with my grandparents, and won't be able to update for awhile. I'll definitly have Alex's song in the next chapter.**


	7. Time To Sing

"You met him at a festival, Masato?" Otoya asked the bluenet.

"Yeah, three years ago," he responded.

"I didn't take you for the type to go to festivals, Hijirikawa," Ren said from behind him.

"It was my sister's idea," Masato stated.

"You have a sister?" Tokiya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, she's eight years younger than me right now," he added.

"Her name's Mai, right?" Ren asked.

"Yes," Masato confirmed.

"Aw, I never had any siblings!" Otoya said.

"Aw, come on. You have us now, Ikki," Ren said putting his arm around the redhead's shoulder.

"So, how exactly did you meet him at the festival, Hijirikawa?" Ai asked from behind the younger idols.

* * *

Masato looked around the crowded street illuminated with paper lanterns and light coming from food stalls. He looked down to see his younger sister look at everything in amazement, her eyes wide and shining. He smiled down at her.

"Where do you want to go first, Mai?" he asked.

"Can we get some candy apples, Onii-chan?" she asked. She was only five, and was still learning how to talk properly.

"Of course we can," Masato said as he started to guide her to a stall.

Mai sat down next to her brother, taking small bites of her candy apple. "Do you want some, Onii-chan?"

"No thank you, Mai. You should enjoy your food," he said

"You're so nice to me, Onii-chan!" Mai said smiling. Then she got an idea. "I'm going to be right back!" she said before running off into the crowd.

"Mai!" Masato called after her, but he already lost sight of the small girl in the crowd.

Mai looked around for something to get her brother. She knew that he liked melon bread… But they already had a ton of that at home! Oh, she had no idea what to get!

Mai was looking around a bit confused. She walked forward, only to knock into someone or something and fall on her butt.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there," someone said above her. Mai looked up to see a boy in a black yukata that was almost a black as his hair. He knelt down with an outstretched hand. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, mister!" Mai stuttered, getting up on her own.

"Hey, are you here alone? A small girl like you shouldn't be out wandering by herself," he said.

"I'll have you know I'm a big girl! I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm here with Onii-chan!" she stated.

"Your brother? Where is he?" he asked a little more concerned.

"He's somewhere. I went to go get him a present, since he's so nice to me!"

"He must be worried sick! Does he know where you are?" he asked. She shook her head. "I'll stay with you and get his present with you, okay?"

"Thank you so much mister!" Mai said bowing slightly.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" he asked. She nodded. He gently scooped her up, and rested her around his right hip, wrapping his arm around her waist to make sure she didn't fall. "I'm Alex, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Mai."

"Nice to meet you, Mai. What should we get your brother?"

Masato walked around the festival streets, looking around for a familiar head of blue hair. "Mai!" he called out.

Alex looked over to see a distressed boy with a blue head of hair. "Mai!" he called out.

"Hey Mai, is that your brother?" Alex asked, pointing at the boy.

The small girl looked over to see the familiar face of her brother. "Yes, that's him! Onii-chan! Over here!" she called out.

The bluenet must've heard her call, because he came running over to where they were the next second.

"Mai! You can't just go running off like that!" he said, leaning down to her eyesight level.

"Sorry, Onii-chan! But I got you something!" she said as he handed him a bag.

He looked down at it, and slowly took it from her hands. He looked inside to see a a necklace with a melon bread pendant attached to it.

"Besides, Alex kept me company!" Mai said.

Masato looked up to see the boy holding his younger sister. His heterochromatic eyes looked to the left as he scathed the back of his head with his free hand.

"He said you'd be worried about me, so he made sure I was safe," Mai said, trying to reassure her brother.

Masato sighed. "Thank you so much, Alex."

"Couldn't just leave her by herself, now could I?" Alex asked the pre-teen, letting Masato take her from his arms.

* * *

"Nice, Al!" Reiji said, clapping.

"Wow, kid," Ranmaru said. "Sogar besser als einige der schlagzeuger habe ich hand für bandkollegen."

"Dank," Alex responded. He rested the drumsticks on one of the drums and got up from his seat.

"Alex! That was amazing!" Natsuki said picking up the kid and hugging him tightly.

"Can't...Breathe," he let out, and Natsuki let him go.

"Where'd you learn to play like that?" Shou asked once Alex could breathe again.

"I'm self taught by drums, piano, and guitar. Everything else I've been taught to play by my friend or the school's music teacher," Alex responded, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt.

"Anyway, what should we do now? The others probably won't get back for another few hours," Reiji said, checking his watch.

"Oh, I know exactly what to do now," Alex said smirking.

* * *

"So, he found your sister?" Cecil asked.

"Yeah. She ran off on her own and he found her," Masato said.

"That's wonderful! He really is a nice kid!" Haruka said releived.

"He was only eight at the time right? What was _he _doing by himself?" Ren asked.

"I never asked him," Masato responded.

"So, we know how Masato met him. How did _you_ meet him, Tokiya?" Otoya asked the teen.

"I'll tell you right now, he wasn't that heroic when _I_ met him," he responded.

* * *

Tokiya put the crutches in front of him and swung his body foward. It was a lot harder walking with crutches, and the doctor said to to get used to walking like this. He normaly did rounds across the hospital halls. It was actually pretty careless of him to get injured like that. Falling off a stage, rookie mistake. He'd be more careful next time. It wasn't like it was something major, it was just a sprain. He'd be back on his own two feet in a week or two.

He said hi to one of the nurses who passed him by. She was the one that was positioned to bring the patients their meals. He believed her name was Misaki, or something of the sort. Continuing to walk down the halls, he passed the some of the rehab rooms. Doctors and nurses helped patients readjust to their normal lives after they've healed in there. Some of the rooms were just so they could comfort the patients, though. As he passed one of the rehab rooms, he saw a boy talking to some patients instead of a doctor. He stopped to take a closer look to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The kid opened the door and said something to the patients. It must've been to dismiss them, because they started to get up and walk through the door.

"See you all tomorrow," he said waving goodbye to the patients.

Tokiya looked around at the people coming out of the room. They all seemed happy and easy-going. Tokiya looked at the boy and wondered what he could've said to them. He must've realized he was staring at him because he looked over and asked him a question.

"Are you here to talk about something?"

The navy-haired teen was a bit thrown back by the question, but answered the kid anyway. "No sorry. I was just wondering what a kid was doing in one of the rehab rooms."

"Oh that," he started. "It's a bit of a long story, so if you want to hear it, you're gonna have to come in anyway, I guess," he said smiling.

The idol didn't see any harm in it, so he followed him into the room. He sat down in one of the chairs set up and rested his crutches on another chair beside him. The kid sat in a chair in front of him and made himself comfortable.

"I'm Alex by the way," he said once he sat down. "So you want to know why I'm talking to the patients, huh?"

Alex's mom was called over from America to work on a specific case in the hospital. There was no one to take care of Alex while she was gone, so she took him with her. While she was working with the other doctors and the patient, she thought Alex could be of some use talking to the patients about any problems they might be having. Pretty soon after that, he had a scheduled group time every day.

* * *

"After I heard that, I decided to join his group every day until he had to leave," Tokiya finished.

"Wow," Otoya said trailing off.

"I never took him for that kind of person," Ren said.

"So, he's like a jack of all trades?" Cecil asked.

"What do you mean?" Masato asked.

"Like he's mean and nice whenever he wants to be. He could change his personality like any of us could snap our fingers," Cecil explained.

"How do you figure that?" Ren asked.

"Remember when he got here, he went off on you because you picked on his height," Cecil said.

"And when Masato and Tokiya met him, he was as nice as nice can get!" Otoya jumped in.

"Who knows what his normal personality could be like?" Cecil asked.

"There's no way Alex could do something like that so easily right? He's only a kid," Tokiya said.

"Maybe he can switch the same way you could switch from your normal self to HAYATO," Masato concluded, walking up to the dorm's front doors.

"So what if the kid can change personalities?" Ren said opening the door. "Doesn't change a thin-"

"Duck and cover!" Alex yelled holding a Nerf gun in his hand. He tumbled behind the couch and positioned his gun over the side, shooting at someone.

That someone was apparently Ranmaru, who had sun glasses on and was walking slowly toward Alex, shooting him with a bigger gun.

"Charge!" Reiji said as he and Shou came running from the other side of the room and jumped over the couch Alex was hiding behind, trying to shoot Ranmaru.

Natsuki, who was also wearing sun glasses, came from behind Ranmaru, shooting at the two approaching males.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Reiji said clutching his chest. "Go on without me!"

"Nooooo!" Shou fake yelled, shooting back with all he had, apparently trying to avenge his fallen partner.

"Asta la vista, baby," Ranmaru said.

"Uhh, what's going on here?" Otoya asked.

The five holding the Nerf guns immediately stopped what they were doing, and looked over to the group standing at the door. They lowered their weapons and had a guilty look on their faces.

"Well uh," Alex said standing up and dusting off his clothes. "This is awkward."

"Mister Johnson!" Someone called. It was Shining Saotome standing on the top of the railing on the second story balcony. "I do believe you owe me a song!" he said jumping down to the first floor.

"Oh shit," Alex swore. "Guess I gotta sing sooner or later."

"Alex, did you practice everything?" Haruka asked her cousin. Alex nodded.

"Hey Al, what's going on?" Reiji asked.

"Long story," he simply responded.

* * *

"Do all of you guys seriously _have_ to be here?" Alex said from inside the recording booth.

After Alex had explained what Saotome told him, they were all interested to hear him sing, and were now in the recording room. Frankly, it was kinda crowded with this many people here.

Masato leaned toward the microphone and pushed a button. "Yes," he deadpanned. He was in charge of the controls today. "Are you nervous, Alex?"

"No, Masato. I'm not nervous at all. I emptied out all the contents of my stomach earlier because I'm soooo excited!" Alex said dripping with sarcasm. "I hope you know that-" Masato cut off his mic for a bit and then switched it back on. "Did you just switch off my mic?!"

"Are you gonna sing or what?" Ranmaru asked through the microphone.

"We're waiting, Mr. Johnson," Saotome said.

"Fuck, just start the music already,"Alex said and took a deep breath.

The music started and Alex closed his eyes.

_I walk alone_

_On a lonely road_

_To keep a secret_

_I've never told_

_And someone like you_

_Comes around_

_Turning my whole world_

_Upside down_

_Left alone_

_In my mind_

_Never knowing_

_At the time_

_That there was a whole world to explore_

_Never knowing there was more_

Alex paused for a bit, and then started singing again.

_It's gotten harder everyday_

_To keep this secret locked away_

_To keep straight_

_On a crooked road _

_To keep a secret_

_I've never told_

_It's driven me mad_

_Can't you see?_

_I'm not the person_

_I used to be_

_Walking alone_

_On a lonely road_

_Keeping a secret_

_That can't be told_

_Then someone like you_

_Comes around_

_And turns the whole world_

_Upside down_

Alex paused again, the music going to an instrumental.

_Trapped inside_

_My own damn mind_

_Never knowing _

_At the time_

_That the whole world_

_Was turned upside down_

_Leaving me dizzy_

_Spinning around_

_It's the same thing everyday_

_I've kept this secret locked away_

_I've kept straight_

_On a crooked road_

_I kept the secret_

_Never to be told_

Alex paused for the last time, taking another deep breath.

_I've been trapped inside_

_My goddamn mind_

_I never knew_

_At the time_

_That there was a whole world to explore_

_I never knew that there was more_

_But in the end_

_I've gone insane_

_Held prisoner_

_In his own brain_

_Walked alone_

_On a lonely road_

_Kept a secret_

_Never told_

_Someone long ago_

_Came around_

_And turned the whole world_

_Upside down_

* * *

**Thanks to FearfulKnights and ButlerSebastian for giving lyrics. I'm sorry I didn't use the exact lines, but I drew a lot of inspiration from them. You two can have a request if you like. **

**I found a laptop! Yes! (Totally didn't steel this from my cousin) Yes, I know this is kinda rushed (But it's long so...**

**Hope you liked the song. Alex and his song do belong to me, please be considerate and don't steal my lyrics!**


	8. Alex's Verdict

**Before I start, I'd just like to say I'm really sorry for not updating in so long. I don't have a proper excuse for this, but I've had time to look at some of my other ideas for fanfiction. I've already begun to write a few, and I hope you guys will enjoy those as much as this. I'm also sorry for this short chapter.**

* * *

After Alex finished singing, he and Haruka were called out of the room so Saotome could talk to them. The rest of the group was waiting in the living room to see what Saotome's verdict is.

"Ne, Tokiya. Do you think he'll send Alex away?" Otoya asked his roommate while he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"The worst that could happen is he'll kick him out of the dorms. Knowing Alex, he'll stay with a friend in the neighborhood. He'll still be in Japan either way," Tokiya responded calmly.

Everyone was silent. Some of them didn't want Alex to go. Others were indifferent to whether the eleven year old stayed or not.

"You all could learn something from this," Ai responded, breaking the silence. He directed this at the band members of STARISH. They each gave him puzzled looks. "Did you honestly think Johnson could waltz in here like that? We've all proved our musical talents, so it's only fair that he does the same," he continued.

The group fell silent. They didn't expect anyone to word the situation so harshly, but it was true. They all proved they deserved to be here. It didn't seem relevant at the time, but it was going to happen sooner or later.

"It's been awhile. Do you think the kid already left?" Ren asked breaking the awkward silence.

"We would've seen him go if he did," Shou responded flatly.

"Alex is prone to leaving through windows and fire escapes," Masato said.

"So, it's possible he's already gone?" Cecil asked, looking at his other bandmates. No one answered.

"I think we should at least find out," Reiji said, in a bit of a whine.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Ranmaru asked, eyeing the brunet next to him.

"We could see if his stuff is still in the room!" Natsuki exclaimed, beaming.

"It's not polite to go through other people's rooms," Camus responded coldly.

"Then what do we do?" Otoya said. It was his turn to whine now.

"We could ask Haruka," Shou said.

The two bluenets felt there phones vibrate in their back pocket. Masato took his phone out, as Tokiya did the same. Masato looked at his phone.

_Supongo__que__todavía está aquí_

_-AJ_

Tokiya looked at the screen puzzled.

_Kommen Sie und finden__mich_

_-AJ_

"What does it say, you guys?" Shou asked.

"I don't speak Spanish," Masato said.

"And I don't speak German," Tokiya added.

"Spanish and German? Toki hand your phone to RanRan, Masa let me see yours," Reiji instructed. The boys did as they were told. Reiji looked down at the screen. "Guess who's still here," he read.

"Come and find me," Ranmaru read aloud, handing Tokiya back his phone.

Just then, they heard someone playing a violin. It had to be Alex.


	9. Idol Game Complete?

**Ok, so I'll begin an update schedule starting next week. Alex's Mischief will be updated Thursdays or Fridays, The Friendly Neighbors of Ikebukoro will be updated Mondays, and any one-shots or other series I'll have are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I'm keeping the weekend for writing.**

**In this chapter there will be a few scene/time skips, because I have a SoL (standards of learning/ basically finals for elementary schoolers) on Monday and I need to cram. Sorry.**

* * *

"So, we gotta find him?" Shou asked, Alex's violin solo still echoing throughout the halls.

"Apparently so," Masato said, louder than usual, making sure everyone could hear him.

"What are we waiting for?" Otoya said, grabbing Tokiya's wrist. "Let's go!" he exclaimed dragging his roommate off into the halls.

"Hey! Otoya! Slow down!" Tokiya could still be heard from the hall.

"Toki! Otoyan! Wait for me and RanRan!" Reiji said, mimicking Otoya and grabbing Ranmaru by his wrist and dragging him along.

"Dammit, let go of me!" Ranmaru exclaimed, trying to get his arm back. The two soon disappeared into the hall like Tokiya and Otoya.

"Aijima," Shou looked at the brunet and tilted his head to the hallway. Cecil nodded and they ran off, as well.

"I'll just stay he-" Ren began, but stopped when Natsuki grabbed his arm.

"No way, Ren," he said, tightening the grip on his arm. Masato scooted away from the blondes. "You too, Masa," Natsuki said and pulled them into the hallway to join Alex's search party.

"Otoya! Don't just run around blindly!" Tokiya said, struggling to keep up with the redhead's pace. Otoya hadn't let go of his wrist, but his hand got kinda sweaty and slid down so that they were actually holding hands now.

The redhead ignored him and continued to glance around the open doors down the hallway.

* * *

"Seriously? You guys," Alex said slightly disappointed. "I mean, come on. Camus and Mikaze actually thought to look in the practice room," he said looking at the slightly panting group of males.

"Are you all okay?" Haruka asked from Alex's side. To be honest, the boys looked like they just ran a marathon.

"We're.." Reiji panted. "Fine…"

Haruka watched as the elder idol fell to the floor, laying on his side.

"Well, he's dead," Alex deadpanned, poking the brunet in the shoulder with his violin bow. "How long were you guys running?"

"About 45 minutes," Shou breathed out, leaning on his knees.

After a symphony of panting from the group of exhausted males, Alex closed his right eye and swung his arm to give a dramatic thumbs up. "Idol game: Complete," he said, looking at the crowd. They all let outan exasperated "Hah?"

"What are you talking about, Alex?" Otoya asked the heterochromatic fifth-grader.

"Don't tell me that us running through the dorm was an Idol game," Masato said.

"Oh, but it was, Su-chan," Alex said, finally putting his violin down into its case. "You all came here with someone else, thus conducting a partnership. That partnership thus conducting a sort of teamwork. That teamwork thus conducting mutual bonding and trust to some extent," Alex explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What kind of logic is that?" Tokiya said, irritated.

"It's not logic, it's _my_ explanation for things," Alex said.

"You're crazy, kid," Ren said.

"Thank you," Alex responded, bowing slightly. Alex took statements like that as compliments. He leaned down and closed his violin case, then stood back up. "You guys look like you could use some lunch."

* * *

Otoya stared at the mess of things on his side of the room. After lunch Tokiya said that he should tidy up his belongs, since they were an "Eyesore." He threw the dirty clothes on the floor into the red laundry basket behind him. The floor was then free of disregarded clothing, but still the contents of his shelf disorganized and messy. He flipped through his C.D.s and paused every now and then to glance at the titles. He pulled out a solid black one with fancy, white, cursive writing on the spine. Otoya wasn't able to read this one, since it was apparently in English. He flipped it over to see the cover.

On the cover, as always, were the ever-present band members of _The Masked and Scarred_. All of them clad in black and white masquerade outfits with scarcely and color. He glanced over the lead singer's picture and noted the details. He was wearing a laced black mask, wore a black pin-striped vest over a grey button up, and had a wide grin on his face. It resembled one a psychotic serial killer would make.

What drew his attention next was, surprisingly, his hair. The style of it seemed familiar, and the dye patterns also rang a bell. His hair was more parted to the left, the left side bleached and dyed to a pure white, and the right jet black. The tips of his hair were a slate grey.

"_Well, that kinda looks like…..Alex?!"_


	10. Fessing Up

Otoya ran into the living room waving the CD case over his head. "You guys! You guys!" he called out to his friends on the couch. "You won't believe it!"

"What is it, Otoya-kun?" Natsuki asked as the redhead came to a stop and rested his hands on his knees.

"What's so unbelievable?" Cecil asked, eyeing the redhead.

Otoya stood up straight and handed the CD case to Shou. "Look at the guy with the white and black hair," he said panting.

Shou turned the case over to look at the cover picture. Looking for the distinctive features, he spotted what seemed like the lead singer with an chesire grin upon his features. He definitely looked familiar. No way, was that…. Alex? "Whoa… Is that Alex?" he asked handing the case to Ren.

"I think so," Otoya said, finally catching his breath. "I can't be sure yet."

"We could ask him," Ren said, looking at the cover and smirking. "I'm sure Alex would love to explain it," Ren said the look in his eyes mischievous.

"Where is he?" Otoya asked.

"In the kitchen," Masato responded, looking down at the cover and handing it back to Otoya.

"Hey, you guys!" Alex called, walking out of the door to the kitchen. He was clad in a lime green apron borred from Reiji. Everyone turned to face him. "Where do you keep your-" Alex stopped mid- sentence when he saw their facial expressions. "Oh no. Oh no no no no no. I know that look!" he said pointing at them. "I'm outtie," Alex said, swiftly walking back into the kitchen. He can find the baking supplies himself.

"Alex, wait!" Otoya said, stepping over the side of the couch (which wasn't necessary,) and going into the kitchen.

"Nope nope nope nope nope," Alex said, head down, and walking away from the redhead.

"Alex!" Otoya called standing near the corner of the island kitchen area. "I just wanna talk to you!"

"No, man. Not as long as you know about that CD!" Alex said pointing to the redhead's hands.

"So, it is you!" Otoya concluded.

Alex double face palmed and threw his head back. He then bent down and balanced on the balls of his feet. He kept his hands over his face with his head down.

"Why don't you wanna talk about it?" Otoya asked, approaching the curled up eleven year old. The rest of the guys had followed them into the kitchen and were now watching his interactions with Alex.

"Because," Alex started, but the rest of that sentence turned into an inaudible mumble.

Otoya bent down next to the boy, and smiled. Even though Alex couldn't see it, it was still a comforting gesture. "Aw, come on. It couldn't be that embarrassing," he said in a comforting tone.

Alex spread his fingers over his glasses to look at the redhead. He dropped his hands and let out a sigh. "How long have you had the CD?" he asked quietly.

"A little over a year," Otoya responded honestly. Alex sighed and stood up and rested his hands on the side of the kitchen counter.

He turned his head to Otoya just as the teen stood up. "Do you really want to know?" Alex asked, turning his head to the group blocking the door that lead to the living room. Alex took off the green apron and hung it on the hook on the wall behind him. He had been planning to cook today, but he could cook for the guys tomorrow. "If we're gonna have story time, you guys had better find somewhere to sit," Alex said, knowing it would take awhile explaining things.


End file.
